Portable table-chair set



July 11, 1961 Filed April 24, 1959 PORTABLE TABLE-CHAIR SET 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIGZ INVENTOR.

HARRY POST BY W July 11, 1961 HvPosT 2,991,829

PORTABLE TABLE-CHAIR SET Filed April 24, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG-5 INVENTOR.

H ARRY PO ST BYM I July 11, 1961 H. POST PORTABLE TABLE-CHAIR SET 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 24, 1959 INVENTOR. HARRY P ST' BY g g a;

July 11, 1961 POST 2,991,829

PORTABLE TABLE-CHAIR SET Filed April 24, 1959 Y 4 Sheets$heet 4 INVENTOR.

H ARK Y PO ST 2,991,829 PORTABLE TABLE-CHAIR SET Post, 1915 Surf Ave., Brooklyn, NY.

Filed Apr. 24, 1959, Ser. No. 808,821 2 Claims. (Cl. 297-139) This invention relates to improvements in desk-chair assemblies which fold into a compact carrying case for convenient transportaton.

In previous arrangements of this type of device, cumbersome awkward structures are disclosed which are both difiicult to manufacture and too heavy for handling by women or persons of average strength. The instant device provides an assembly which can be conveniently handled and is relatively simple to fabricate by incorporating a novel linkage connection between the table and chair. This novel linkage permits the user to rapidly collapse the table chair assembly by a folding action of the chair into a table cavity. The connection between the table and the chair is made on the under side of the chair and thus unsightly apertures and lost space is avoided at the sitting area of the chair.

Consequently the: primary object of this invention is the provision of a table chair set assembly wherein the chair can be folded into a cavity in the table to form a compact case for convenient transportation which is light in weight and simple to operate and fabricate.

Another object of this inventionis the provision of a chair-table assembly which is collapsible into a compact, lightweight carrying case wherein an improved linkage is employed to attach the table to the chair without forming aperturesin the chair sitting surface.

The improved portable table-chair set provided herein is primarilly intended for use as a card playing or dining set, although other uses are contemplated.

Additional objects and inventive features of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, claims and attached drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective assembly of the novel set.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the set when collapsed and ready for transportation.

FIGURE 3 is a partial plan View of the underside of the device when opened for use showing details of the novel linkage employed.

FIGURE 4 is a partial side view in section taken along plane 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a partial plan view of the underside of the set during a phase in sequence used to collapse the table.

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 5 showing the next step in the sequence.

FIGURE 7 is a partial sectional view taken along plane 77 of FIGURE 6 showing additional details of the linkage.

Detailed description Referring to the above described drawings and to FIG- URES 1 and 2 in particular, the improved set is seen to comprise a table 10 connected to a pair of identical chairs 11 and 12 by a bracket assembly 13 on one side of the table and an identical bracket assembly on the opposite side of the table (not seen in the drawings). The structure of each chair and the linkage or bracket 13 which connects the chair and each side of the table is identical, thus for brevity only chair 12 and its connection with the table will be described in detail. The table 10 is formed with symmetrical halves 15 and 16 which are pivotally connected by hinges 17. When the set is collapsed, halves 15 and 16 meet to form the case shown in FIG- URE 2 and carried by a handle 18, suitable means being provided to latch the halves together.

- formation of holes in the chair surface.

Each chair includes" a pair of oppositely disposed legs 19 and 20 of identical construction which are collapsibleinto a space on the under side of the chair. Since the described in detail.

Referring now to FIGURES 3 and 4 in particular, the collapsible leg 19 is seen to comprise a lower U-shaped base 21, pivotally secured at each open end to a pair of similar supports 22 and 23. Set screws 24 and 25 interconnect supports 22 and 23 respectively with the corressponding end of base 21 to maintain the leg 19 in rigid condition by preventing pivotal motion of the supports about hinges 26 and 27.. Supports 22 and 23 are also pivoted to the base of the chair by hinges 28 and 29. To collapse the legs into the space on the underside of the chair. Set screws 24 and 25 are operated to release the supports 22 and 23 for pivotal motion about the hinges 26 and 27 and the base supports are folded against the chair as shown in FIGURE 3.

Bracket 13 connects the table half 16 at its underside to the chair 12 at its underside thereby avoiding the The novel connection is efiected by the following structural components. A link 30 and a similar link 31 are pivotally connected to links 32 and 33 in parallel fashion with the hinges 34 and 35. Projecting from the opposite ends of links 32 and 33 are slide rods 36 and 37 which slide along the guides 38 and 39 rigidly secured to the bottom of the chair. Rods 36 and 37 are slotted to receivethe guides 38 and 39. At the outer edge of the table another pair of links 42 and 43 are pivotally secured by the hinges 44 and 45. The opposite ends of links 42 and 43 are each pivotally attached to a crossframe 46 by hinges 53 and 54. Also pivotally secured athinges 53 and 54 are the guide bars 40 and 41 which also slide along guides 38 and 39 as tracks. It is also to be noted that the upper ends of links 42 and 43 are pivotally attached to the crossframe 46 at the hinges 44 and 45 whereby the said cros'sframe cannot move linearly relative to the table but it can slide relative to the chair.

When the table is opened for use the links 30 and 32 are in alignment forming a rigid strut to support the table. Link 42 also acts as a strut by its connection to bar 40. To complete the substantially triangular framework formed by these links and hinges bar 40 rod 36 are secured by the set screw 47 which can also bear on guide 38 for the purposes of further stabilizing the framework with frictional forces. A similar arrangement exists on the other side of cros'sframe 46 where a set screw 48 connects rod 37 with bar 41. It is thus seen that table half 16 will be supported rigidly in the open position of FIG- URE 4 when the links have been opened.

The method of folding the set into a compact case for transportation can be better understood by referring to FIGURES 5, 6 and 7. The first step in this process however is done from the position shown in FIGURE 3. Links 30 and 31 are detached from the table at their upper ends by opening screws 49 and 50. Then link 30 is pivoted towards the observer in FIGURE 3. Set screw 47 is loosened and rod 36 is rotated about guide 38 as an axis until rod 36 is superimposed over guide 38 as seen in FIGURE 5. The latter rotation of rod 36 will cause link 30 to assume the position shown in FIGURE 5. The same procedure is followed with the links 31 and 33 to form the symmetrical configuration seen in FIGURE 5. To cause the linkage to fall within the space of the bottom of the chair rods 36 and 37 are slid axially along their respective guides 38 and 39. Now the chair is rotated degrees about the longer axis and placed into the space of the underside of the table half 16. This results in the position shown in FIGURE 6. In this phase the bars 40 and 41 slide along the guides 37 and Patented July 11, 1961 38 until they contact the slotted ends of the rods 36 and 37. Also it should be noted that the edge of the chair nearest the table hinges 17', falls between the hinges I7 and the brackets 51 and 52 used to effect a connection with links 30 and 31 as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4.

When links 30 and 31 are folded into the bottom cavity of the chair as seen in FIGURE 5, they are secured in such position by means of set screws 49 and 50 being threaded into holes 56 and 57 provided in the chair bottom. So as to permit the chair 12 to lie flat and fully within the walls 59 of the table (FIG. 7) slots 57 and 58 are provided in the side edges 60 of the chair thereby permitting the nesting of the links 42 and 43 therein. Thus it is seen that the entire chair and connecting bracket linkage folds easily into the table half cavity on each side of the set. The assembly is completed by now folding the halves 15 and 16 together and latching them with a latch 61 as seen in FIGURE 2. To erect the set for use the procedure is reversed as apparent.

It is now apparent that a table-chair set has been provided which can easily and rapidly be converted by any unskilled person into a lightweight compact travelling case. Although the linkage is effective in maintaining a solid table chair combination when opened, the crosssection of material required to accomplish this result has been reduced to a minimum. Moreover all this has been accomplished without placing holes in the chair surfaces for the linkage connections as is the case in conventional designs.

Having thus described in detail the nature of this invention a grant of Letters Patent is requested for the novel features disclosed herein as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A table-chair combination comprising a table having folding halves and two similar chairs arranged symmetrically on each side of the table with identical linkages connecting the bottoms of each chair with the adjacent half of the table, each of said linkages comprising a pair of links pivotally attached to the bottom of the table at transversely spaced points, including a pair of slide rods, each attached pivotally to the end of the links remote from the table, in further combination with a guide means affixed to the bottom of the chair, said slide rods being slidably and rotatably connected to the guide means at spaced transverse positions, whereby the ends of the rods remote from the said links are adapted to slide transversely along the said guide means, in further combination with means for adjustably securing the said rods to the said guide means at predetermined locations, the rotatable connection between said slide rods and the guide means permitting rotation of the rod about the axis of the guide means whereby the said rod and attached link can be positioned wholly under the chair when the link is detached from the table.

2. A table-chair combination, as in claim 1, including a second set of linkages parallel to the first said linkages and arranged symmetrically on each side of the table with identical second linkages connecting the bottoms of each chair with the adjacent half of the table, said second linkages including a cross frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 18,207 Soltesz Sept. 22, 1931 2,217,576 Weber Oct. 8, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 988,168 France Apr. 25, 1951 664,661 Great Britain Jan. 9, 1952 1,053,581 France Sept. 30, 1953 1,054,748 France Oct. 7, 1953 1,092,230 France Nov. 3, 1954 

